Roger Waters loses Argentina hotel bookings after Israel-Hamas comments

British musician and former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters has had two hotel reservations in Buenos Aires, Argentina, canceled ahead of his upcoming performance in the city, Argentinian media reported. This comes following several notable controversies surrounding the performer and his views on the Israel-Hamas war.

The hotels in question, the Faena Hotel and the Alvear Hotel, have not disclosed why they canceled Waters's stay.

However, Argentina's Jewish umbrella organization, the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA), had reportedly warned Argentinian businesses in advance of Waters's arrival.

DAIA president Jorge Knoblovits expressed concern about Waters's "antisemitic hate speech," which he worries could negatively impact the climate of coexistence fostered in Argentina, according to Argentinian news outlet La Nacion. Knoblovits further said that if Waters were to commit a crime in Argentina, he should be arrested and put on trial like anyone else.

Roger Waters's controversial claims about Israel and its war with Hamas

In an interview with Glenn Greenwald, Waters said that the Israeli narrative surrounding Hamas's October 7 massacre was "very fishy" and may have been a false flag operation. He further claimed that Hamas's actions likely did not qualify as war crimes, but were justifiable both legally and morally. 

“Was it justified to resist the occupation? Yeah, it’s the Geneva Conventions,” he said. “They are absolutely legally and morally bound to resist the occupation since 1967.”